Air-flow material separator



July 3, 1962 F. E. CLUTE 3,042,203

AIR-FLOW MATERIAL SEPARATOR Filed Aug. 17, 1959 .I 5' i I L 1 L HUM /8 1 I 6. mi 7h J2; 46 Z; ,MLMZL INVENTOR. 5 0005 Z. (/0 fe ATTOENE Y United States atent O 7 3,042,203 AIR-FLOW MATERIAL SEPARATOR Francis E. Clute, Rocky Ford, Colo., assignor to J.E.T.

Pellet Mill Corporation, Rocky Ford, Colo., a corporation of Colorado Filed Aug. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 834,092 8 Claims. (Cl. 209-144) The invention relates to a mineral or feed separator, and primarily to an ore sorting apparatus for separating comminuted or pulverized metalliferous material from its gangue through employment of artificial currents of air directed through a novel separator and a collector for the lighter particles that are separated from the material by the action of combined cyclonic and straight air flow through the said separator.

It is the primary object of the instant invention to provide a mineral separator employing a pair of spaced primary passages for free vertical flow of air and a conical passage therebetween for cyclonic air movements that operate to draw lighter particles spirally. inward to the center of the separator from the primary passages, thereby permitting gravitation of the heavier particles within the latter as the light particles move upwardly in the conical passage.

Another important object of the instant invention is to provide a collector having a novel arrangement of deflectors for separating the air and the material so that the latter may be recovered and the air discharged to the atmosphere.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, side elevational view of an air-flow material collector and separator made pursuant to my present invention, parts being broken away and in section to reveal details of construction.

FIG. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary edge elevational view showing only the separator; and

FIGS. 4-7 inclusive are transverse cross-sectional views taken on lines 4--4, 5-5, 66 and 7- 7 respectively of FIG. 1.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawing for recovering certain desired particles from various types of materials includes a collector 10 and a separator 12 interconnected by a tube 16. t

The separator 12 includes a hollow upright body 14 open at its lowermost end and communicating with the tube 16. Body 14 has a pair of spaced flat parallel side Walls 18 and 20 interconnected by end walls 22 and 24, it being noted that the distance between walls 18 and 20 and therefore the thickness of the body 14 is appreciably less than .the Width of body 14 at its lowermost rectangular open inlet end.

However, body 14 progressively and uniformly decreases in Width as tube 16 is approached from adjacent a materials receiving slot formed in the wall 18. A hopper 26 is mounted on the body 14 to facilitate the feeding of the material into the body 14 through the slot. Beneath slot end walls 22 and 24 are in parallelism.

Walls 18 and 20 are provided with semi-conical bulges 28 and 30, respectively, that are directly opposite one another and extend from their apex ends adjacent slot 24 upwardly throughout the remaining height of body 14 to a point of direct connection with the tube 16. The combined radii of bulges 28 and 30 at the upper ends thereof are the same as the diameter of tube 16 with which they communicate and directly connect.

There is presented, there-fore, a pair of spaced passages 32 and 34 between the walls 18 and 20 and a central, subregisters with a material collecting box 46 having a nor 3,042,203 Patented July 3, 1962' bl stantially conical passage 36 between the passages 32 and 34.

'It is to be specifically understood at this juncture that the bulges 28 and 30 might well be reversed or inverted, placing the apex end of passage 35 adjacent tube 16.

Collector 10 includes a hollow body 38 having an uppermost cylindrical portion 40 provided with a top 42 through which tube 16 passes centrally, terminating in a lowermost open enddisposed within a frusto-conical portion 44. The lowermost end of the portion 44 mally closed door 48.

A plurality ofyertically spaced deflectors 50, 52 and 54 are provided in the body 38, the lowermost deflector 54 being frusto-conical and joined to the tube 16 at its apex, slanting downwardly and outwardly therefrom but terminating at its periphery in spaced relationship to the wall of the body portion 44.

The intermediate deflector 52 is also frusto-conical and carried in any suitable manner (not shown) by the'tube 16. Deflector 52 is in the nature of an annulus surrounding the tube 16 in spaced relationship thereto and engaging the inner face of the wall of the body portion 38 at the periphery of the uppermost major diameter of deflector 52. t

The uppermost deflector consists of a flat horizontal plate engaging and secured to the inner face of the wall of body portion 40 immediately beneath a radial air discharge pipe 56 communicating with body portion 40 adjacent top 42. An opening 58 in the deflector 50 surrounding the tube 16 in spaced relationship thereto has a diameter that is less than the maximum diameter of the deflector 54 and appreciably less than the minimum diameter of the deflector 52.

Any suitable means (not shown) may be used for creating artificial-currents of air and directing the same through the separator 12 and the collector 10 from the air inlet opening at the lower end of body 14 to the air discharge 56. For example, a blower driven by any suitable prime mover may be operably coupled with the pipe 56. On the other hand, if it is desired to connect the blower directly through the top 42 of body 38 cen trally thereof, tube 16 may then be connected radially with body portion 40 above the deflector 50 and then extend inwardly into body. 38 for vertical disposition 1 through the three deflectors as illustrated.

will fall immediately after entering the slot 24 and discharge from the body 14 through its'lowermost air inlet end. The remaining particles will rise within the body 14 and from such particles the lighter substances will be drawn inwardly into the passage 36 by virtue of the cyclonic movement of air in the passage 36. Heavier particles will gravitate in the passages 32 and 34 within the air that flows along a straight vertical path of travel along passages 32 and 34. The only materials, therefore, that will pass into the tube 16 are those light particles which are removed from the passages 32 and 34 by the cyclonic air movement in the passage 36.

The air and the light particles entrained therein will discharge downwardly into the collector 10 through the lowermost open end of the tube 16. These particles will gravitate toward the box 46 as the air reverses its direction of travel from the tube 16 upwardly toward the dis-. charge 56. Any particles that tend to move upwardly with the air in the collector 10* will be trappedjor deflected downwardly by the three deflectors.

Thoseupwardly moving particles next adjacent the tube 16 below deflector 54 cannot move upwardly with the air because of the deflector 54. By the same token, the particles which tend to move upwardly along the wall of body portion 44 and those along the wall of body portion 40 will be trapped by the deflector 52. Finally, the deflector 50 may under certain circumstances be needed to provide a final means of separation of air and entrained particles.

It is contemplated that means be provided in the box 46 and/or door 48 to normally cause the same to collect a sufficient amount of material to seal the lowermost end of the collector 1%. In this connection, any one of a number of well-known spring loaded devices or the like may be employed, operable to automatically discharge the materials by action of the weight thereof after a predetermined amount has collected in the body 38.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1, Separating apparatusfor comminuted material having particles of different specific gravities comprising an upright body having an inlet, and an outlet spaced above the inlet, said body being hollow for flow of artificial currents of air from the inlet to the outlet, there being a pair of spaced portions forming a part of said body for free vertical flow of said air, and a central, substantially conical portion, progressively decreasing in diameter as the inlet end of said conical portion is approached for cyclonic ilow of said air, and communicating with said pair of spaced portions therebetween, whereby lighter particles are drawn from said pair of spaced portions into the central portion and carried to said outlet, and heavier particles return by gravity within said pair of spaced portions to the inlet when the material is introduced into the air stream at said inlet.

2. Separating apparatus for comminuted material having particles of different specific gravities comprising an upright body having an inlet, and an outlet spaced above the inlet, said body being hollow for flow of artificial currents of air from the inlet to the outlet, there being a pair of spaced portions forming a part of said body for free vertical flow of said air, and a pair of directly pposed, spaced, semi-conical bulges, forming a central, substantial-1y conical portion, progressively decreasing in diameter as the inlet end of said conical portion is ap proached for cyclonic flow of said air, and communicating with said pair of spaced portions therebetween, whereby lighter particles are drawn from said pair of spaced portions into the central portion and carried to said outlet, and heavier particles return by gravity within said pair of spaced portions to the inlet when the material is introduced into the air stream at said inlet.

3. Separating apparatus for comminuted material having particles of different specific gravities comprising an upright body having an inlet, and an outlet spaced above the inlet, said body being hollow for flow of artificial currents of air from the inlet to the outlet, there being a pair of spaced portions forming a part of said body for free vertical flow of'said air, and a pair of directly opposed, spaced, semi-conical bulges, forming a central, substantially conical portion for cyclonic flow of said air, said conical bulges being disposed on opposite sides of a central vertical plane through the body, said central portion progressively decreasing in diameter as the inlet end thereof is approached and communicating with said pair of spaced portions therebetween, whereby lighter particles are drawn from said pair of spaced portions into the central portion and carried to said outlet, and heavier particles return by gravity within said pair of spaced portions to the inlet when the material is introduced into the air stream at said inlet.

4. Separating apparatus for comminuted material having particles of different specific gravities comprising an upright body having an inlet, and an outlet spaced above the inlet, said body being hollow for flow of artificial currents of air from the inlet to the outlet, the transverse cross-sectional contour of the body being substantially rectangular at the inlet, there being a pair of spaced portions forming a part of said body for free vertical flow of said air, and a central, substantially conical portion progressively decreasing in diameter as the inlet end thereof isapproached for cyclonic flow of said air, and communicating with said pair of spaced portions therebetween, whereby lighter particles are drawn from said pair of spaced portions into the central portion and carried to said outlet, and heavier particles return by gravity within said pair of spaced portions to the inlet when the material is introduced into the air stream at said inlet.

5. Separating apparatus for comminuted material having particles of different specific gravities comprising an upright body having an inlet, and an outlet spaced above the inlet, said body being hollow for flow of artificial currents of air from the inlet to the outlet, the transverse, cross-sectional contour of the body being substantially rectangular at the inlet, with the thickness thereof appreciably less than the width thereof, there being a pair of spaced portions forming a part of said body for free vertical flow of said air, and a central, substantially conical portion progressively decreasing in diameter as the inlet end thereof is approached for cyclonic ilow of said air, and communicating with said pair of spaced portions therebetween, whereby lighter particles are drawn from said pair of spaced portions into the central portion and carried to said outlet, and heavier particles return by gravity within said pair of spaced portions to the inlet when the material is introduced into the air stream at said inlet.

6. Separating apparatus for comminuted material having particles of different specific gravities comprising an upright body having an inlet, and an outlet spaced above the inlet, said body being hollow for flow of artificial currents of air from the inlet to the outlet, the transverse, cross-sectional contour of the body being substantially rectangular at the inlet, with the thickness thereof appreciably less than the width thereof, there being a pair of spaced portions forming a part of said body for free vertical flow of said air, said pair of spaced portions being of uniform thickness throughout the height of the body, and a central, substantially conical portion, progressively decreasing in diameter as said inlet is approached for cyclonic flow of said air, and communicating with said pair of spaced portions therebetween, whereby lighter particles are drawn from said pair of spaced portions into the central portion and carried to said outlet, and heavier particles return by gravity within said pair of spaced portions to the inlet when the matenial is introduced into the air stream at said inlet.

7. Separating apparatus for comminuted material having particles of different specific gravities comprising an upright body having an inlet, and an outlet spaced above the inlet, said body being hollow for flow of artificial currents of air from the inlet to the outlet, the transverse, cross-sectional contour of the body being substantially rectangular at the inlet, with the thickness thereof appreci ably less than the width thereof, said body progressively increasing in width as the inlet is approached, there being a pair of spaced portions forming a part of said body for free vertical flow of said air, and a central, substantially conical portion, progressively decreasing in diameter as said inlet is approached for cyclonic flow of said air, and communicating with said pair of spaced portions therebetween, whereby lighter particles are drawn from said pair of spaced portions into the central portion and carried to said outlet, and heavier particles return by gravity within said pair of spaced portions to the inlet when the material is introduced into the air stream at said inlet.

8. Separating apparatus for comminuted material having particles of different specific gravities comprising an upright body having an inlet, and an outlet spaced above the inlet, said body being hollow for flow of artificial currents of air from the inlet to the outlet, the transverse, cross-sectional contour of the body being substantially rectangular at the inlet, with the thickness thereof appreciably less than the width thereof, said body progressively increasing in Width as the inlet is approached, there being a pair of spaced portions forming a part of said body for free vertical flow of said air, said pair of spaced portions being of uniform thickness throughout the height of the body, and a central, substantially conical portion,

progressively decreasing in diameter as said inlet is appreached for cyclonic flow of said air, and communicating with said pair of spaced portions therebetween, whereby lighter particles are drawn from said pair of spaced portions into the central portion and carried to said outlet,

and heavier particles return by gravity within said pair of spaced portions to the inlet when the material is introduced into the air stream at said inlet.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gray June 23, 1908 Day Sept. 6, 1910 McClafferty Aug. 16, 19 32 Berg June 9, 1953 Clnte Oct. 1, 1957 

